A lot of older records are still sitting in the paper inner they came with. Over time, those sleeves can split at the opening, collect dust and start shedding fibres onto the vinyl, which is usually when replacing them becomes worth thinking about.
If you’ve got a few like that, you don’t necessarily need anything complicated. A decent replacement sleeve in the right size is often all you’re looking for.
Key takeaways
- Worn paper that has split, gone dusty or started shedding is usually when a replacement is worth it.
- 12-inch sleeves are for LPs and 7-inch sleeves are for singles, so it’s worth checking the size before you order.
- After size, the choice is what you want against the vinyl: plain paper, poly-lined, rice-paper style, or a clear plastic liner.
- If the original paper has lyrics or credits printed on it, keep that paper with the jacket and put the record in a new liner.
When the paper has had enough
There is no need to re-sleeve a whole collection in one sitting. The records that need it first have inners that have split at the mouth, or gone soft and grey. You notice it when the paper catches as you pull the record out. Sometimes the disc comes out with a film of dust that was not there last time. A new sleeve will not restore a worn pressing. It simply means the record is no longer rubbing against torn, dusty paper every time it comes out of the jacket. You are not trying to make an old copy mint. You are just stopping the liner making it worse.
What you want against the vinyl
If the old paper is shedding, the first job is simply to get the record out of that liner. There’s nothing wrong with replacing it with plain paper if you still like that slide in the jacket. It feels familiar, it’s inexpensive, and that may be all you need.
When you want it smoother without losing the paper look, poly-lined paper keeps a paper outside and a nicer face against the record. Rice-paper sleeves are a thinner, anti-static version of that same idea. Neither one is a project. You are choosing how the record feels when it slides out, not building a new system.
If you want it thin and clear, get the record out of paper altogether. A clear HDPE liner is the plastic one you can still read the label through.
12 inch and 7 inch
If you’re re-sleeving a stack of LPs, you’ll normally want 12-inch inners, while your singles need their own 7-inch sleeves. It’s an easy detail to overlook when you’re ordering a multipack, so it’s worth checking the size first. A mixed pile is worth sorting before you click buy, or you end up with a pack that only fits half of it.
Keeping a printed inner
Original albums often came with a paper sleeve that had lyrics or credits printed on it. That printed paper is part of the album, even when it is too torn to keep the vinyl inside.
I’d keep it. The record goes in a new liner, and the old printed paper stays with the jacket. You can tuck it in behind the new sleeve, or slide the new liner inside the printed one if it still holds together.
Buying a pack
If you’re only replacing the worst sleeves in your collection, there’s little point buying a huge pack. It will sit in a cupboard for the next year. Count the records you actually plan to do this month. A larger pack makes more sense for a whole shelf.
An outer sleeve or a storage box can sit over the finished album once the record is sleeved. The inner is still what the record sits in.
Once you know what you want, see current listings for the size and liner that matches the pile you are working through.
Editor’s picks
Inner sleeves — current 12-inch and 7-inch liners in paper, poly-lined, rice-paper style, and HDPE.
Vinyl boxes — if you want somewhere to keep the finished albums once they’re sleeved.